About our Theatres
The Potter Center at Jackson Community College is
comprised of the most versatile and complete performing arts complex in
the area. Viewed separately,
each of the three theatres is well designed, constructed and equipped. Viewed as an entire arts complex, the educational and
entertainment possibilities are limitless.
The Federer Rooms
The Federer Rooms are a complex of seminar/meetings rooms that are
centrally located on the first floor of Potter Center. These rooms provide
ideal facilities for the accommodation of meetings, seminars, luncheons,
displays, lectures, films, teleconferences, power point presentations,
special events, etc. The
Federer Rooms have the capability of being subdivided, with
acoustically-controlled folding wall panels, in various multiples from
three separate rooms to one large room. As a result, seating can be adjusted from 40 persons to 200 people.
Food arrangements are made through Classic Fare Catering at (517)
783-1521.
For more information on the Federer Rooms, please contact the Cultural
Affairs Office at (517) 796-8473.
Baughman Theatre
The Baughman Theatre, in a combination of conventional and continental
seating patterns, seats a total of 403 persons, including 10 wheelchair
spaces.
Overall, the stage measures 35-feet deep by 92-feet wide with a
proscenium opening of 46-feet wide by 23-feet high. Performance flexibility is enhanced through the use of three trap
doors in the stage floor, coupled with two stage entrances through the
seating area and an elevator-type orchestra pit which can accommodate up
to 44 musicians. In addition,
there are 47 counterbalanced pipes which can be used to fly curtains,
scenery, stage lights and even people.
Above the seating area there are five interconnected catwalks on which
speakers, follow spots and additional stage lights can be positioned. The control booths are situated behind and above the last row of
seats. They offer an excellent vantage point for the technicians
operating the computerized lighting control console.
Support facilities include a total of four dressing rooms, fully
equipped costume and scene shops and a formative dance studio with special
flooring, mirrored walls and dance bars.
Harold Sheffer Music Hall
This spacious grand concert hall/theatre seats 1,549
patrons, including 20 wheelchair patrons. There are 1,046 seats plus the wheelchair spaces on the lower or
Orchestra Level, while the balcony, or Grand Tier, contains 483 seats. On occasion, thirty-seven additional seats can be placed on the
orchestra lift, at audience level, for a maximum total of 1,586 seats. Each level contains outer lobbies which afford striking views of
the Potter Center Complex.
The overall stage dimensions measure 45-feet deep by
100-feet wide, while the proscenium opening measures 56-feet wide by
31-feet, eight inches high. The
theatre features a large elevator-type orchestra pit which can seat up to
80 musicians.
One of the Music Hall's technical features is a
series of six interconnecting catwalks, located above the Orchestra Level
seating, from which are mounted numerous stage lighting luminaries. Perched loftily above the Grand Tier level is a spacious
follow-spot booth. The three
interconnected control booths (sound, audio visual and lighting) are
situated at the rear of the Orchestra Level.
Incorporating seventy-five counterbalanced pipes for
flying draperies, scenic drops, speakers, and stage lighting equipment,
the Music Hall has the capability to present even the largest of the
broadway touring companies. The
computerized lighting control console has 200 memories, a visual display
unit and 252 dimmers.
In addition to a full acoustical shell enclosure for
the proscenium, the theatre contains 30 adjustable reflector panels and
seven motor operated curtains to control and adjust the acoustics of the
house. Thus, reverberation
time can be altered to adjust the acoustics to accommodate the varying
requirements and styles of both dramatic and musical presentations.
Also included in the theatre is a complete rehearsal
room equipped with a dance floor, mirrored walls and an outstanding
environment for dance and music programs and classes. The room contains adjustable acoustic panels that can readily be
changed from absorptive to reflective surfaces. The rehearsal room has its own restroom facilities and music
library mezzanine besides being sound isolated from the Music Hall.
Finally, for the performing artists, the Music Hall
houses a total of seven dressing rooms - five for Chorus, two for
"Stars," crew dressing rooms and facilities and a canteen and laundry
for traveling artists. The
"Star" dressing room is carpeted with a sofa and casual chairs. There are also phone lines available for calls, faxes and computer
hook-up for the artists or their managers' use.
Ruth Day Theatre
The Ruth M. Day Theatre is a multiple form, experimental theatre. By incorporating fixed seating on eight movable units, the theatre
can be fashioned into four standard staging configurations: Arena, Thrust, Center Aisle and Proscenium. To accommodate the various technical requirements of music, dance
and drama, there are twelve interconnected catwalks above the house which
connect to the combined lighting and sound booth. For additional flexibility, the theatre is equipped with four
adjustable acoustical curtains which can readily change the room acoustics
from reflective to absorptive surfaces. The seating capacity of Day Theatre varies according to the
presentation style, but generally seats 104, 126, 168 or 184 persons.
Robert Snyder Dining Room
Located on the first floor of Potter Center is the Robert Snyder Dining
Room which can comfortably accommodate 300-350 persons and is an excellent
facility for wedding receptions, banquets and other special events. Changes in floor levels within the room as well as a large
lightwell overhead that penetrates the second floor, up to the roof above,
provide a varied and pleasing dining environment.
Food service arrangements are made through the catering service on
campus, Classic Fare Catering. They
offer a complete line of menus ranging from hors d'oeuvre receptions to
buffets to sit down dinners. Managers
may be reached at (517) 783-1521.
Reservations can be made up to a year in advance.
For more information on the Dining Room, please contact the Cultural
Affairs Office at (517) 796-8473.
